


Cute Guy In The Bookstore

by bluflamingo



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bookstore, Gen, M/M, Matchmaking, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-04
Updated: 2017-02-04
Packaged: 2018-09-22 01:19:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9575468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluflamingo/pseuds/bluflamingo
Summary: Sam and Bucky meet cute (very cute) in a bookstore; meanwhile, Steve tried to set the two of them up with each other.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [reeby10](https://archiveofourown.org/users/reeby10/gifts).



Bucky:

Bucky's life plans had never really included working in a bookstore at the age of 29.

"At least it's an independent," Wanda, the other sales assistant, said every time. "You could be working at a Borders."

Not that there was anything wrong with chainstores – Bucky bought most of his books at the Borders down the block, mainly because his tiny independent didn't stock most of what he wanted – but people always stared in there, like they'd never seen a guy missing an arm before. Bucky had standing permission from his manager to glare back at anyone who gave him an off look in their store. 

"Because I'm a nice guy," Clint, Bucky's manager, always said. Which was true, for all that he tried to pretend like he wasn't, but it didn't hurt that Clint enjoyed blank-staring people when they protested until they ran away.

Still, though – Bucky's life plans had mostly focused around the army, especially after Steve grew six inches during college and persuaded the army to take him too, even if he had been an officer to Bucky's NCO, and nowhere in them had been disability pension and a bookstore before 30.

Of course, there were definite perks.

"He's cute," Natasha said softly, one elbow resting on the counter as Bucky scanned in the morning's delivery. 

"Shut up," Bucky said, ignoring both her and the way he could feel his face heating up. If he tipped his head just right, he could see most of the left side of cute-guy-who-came-in-to-look-at-the-aviation-history-section-every-week.

"I'm just saying," Natasha said, flipping another page in a book of photographs of cats. 

"Are you buying that? Because this is a book-store, not a library."

"I haven't decided yet." She flipped another page, looked over at cute-guy-who-came-in-to-look-at-the-aviation-history-section-every-week again. "Look, this kitten's just like Ribbons."

The kitten in question was curled up in a flower pot and sleeping, rather than trying to rip Bucky's one remaining arm to shreds, which made it a passing resemblance at very best. On the other hand, the kitten in the picture didn't belong to two ex-spies, so at least Ribbons came by her sneaky attack nature honestly.

In the far corner of the book-store, cute-guy-who-came-in-to-look-at-the-aviation-history-section-every-week selected a book and turned to make his way over to the counter.

"Stop staring at him!" Bucky knew his face was burning, just knew it. He sucked at the whole talking-to-people-he-was-attracted-to thing, ever since he'd been sent home.

Natasha ignored him, watching cute-guy-who-came-in-to-look-at-the-aviation-history-section-every-week until he was close enough for her to offer a smile and a low-voiced, "Hi."

"Hi," Cute-guy-who-came-in-to-look-at-the-aviation-history-section-every-week offered in return, handing a hardback history of World War II fighter pilots over to Bucky with a nod of greeting. 

"I haven't seen you around here before," Natasha said.

Cute-guy-who-came-in-to-look-at-the-aviation-history-section-every-week grinned at her. "I haven't seen you around here before either." That grin was definitely a flirtatious grin, and that tone was a flirtatious tone. Not that Bucky expected anything but the least Natasha could do was leave his hopeless crush intact.

"Twenty-five fifty." He bagged the book, exchanging it for the cash. "And she's married."

Natasha and cute-guy-who-came-in-to-look-at-the-aviation-history-section-every-week blinked at him in unison. "Just the receipt would have been fine," he said, though Bucky noticed his eyes dipping to Natasha's left hand, where a ring would be if she or Nick wore them. 

"Dating advice comes free," Bucky told him. "Come back any time."

*

"I thought you liked him," Steve said, when Bucky confessed the whole thing over the phone that weekend.

"I said he was cute," Bucky corrected, tipped over backward onto the couch in the apartment they'd shared while mostly not living in it since they left high school.

Steve sighed, the connection crackling like a reminder that Bucky didn't even know where Steve was right now – didn't even have permission to know. "You know my friend Sam works at the VA near your store."

"Yes, Steve, I do." Mainly because Steve mentioned it approximately every other time Bucky talked to him. "And that he's wonderful and I'd love him, and you'd be more than happy to give him my number." Which wasn't news in any way: Steve'd met Sam when Steve was doing a year in Washington, and Bucky'd quickly gotten sick of hearing about how awesome he was. 

"I'm just saying," Steve said.

Bucky rolled his eyes instead of groaning like he wanted to; Steve, like always, just wanted to help, even though he kind of wasn't. "I don't need you to set me up with Sam. I have cute-guy-who-came-in-to-look-at-the-aviation-history-section-every-week."

"Who you basically just accused of trying to entice Natasha into an affair because he looked at her."

"Treat 'em mean, keep 'em keen," Bucky said.

*

Sam:

"Hello again." New-cute-guy-at-the-bookstore (not to be confused with cute-guy-who-talked-to-Wanda-about-archery-when-the-shop-was-quiet) kept his head down when Sam walked in, though his eyes flicked up for a second when Sam spoke. Well, it wasn't like Sam had really expected an apology. 

"I'm just going to check out the aviation section." New-cute-guy-at-the-bookstore ticked a glance at Sam again. "Got anything new in since Monday?"

They hadn't, to Sam's quick glance over the shelves. More importantly, they also hadn't gotten anyone in to clean the window just to the right of the aviation section; perfectly positioned for Sam to watch new-cute-guy-at-the-bookstore in the reflection.

He was wearing a white shirt, open at the neck, his hair pulled back so Sam could enjoy the line of his neck and the shadow of his collarbone. As Sam watched, he turned a page in the book tucked below the edge of the counter. Instead of going back to the book, though, he rested his head in the palm of his hand, tipped just far enough to be looking at something.

Forget "something" – he was looking at Sam, same as he had since the first time Sam saw him in the store. Sam looked back down at the book in his hand, hoping new-cute-guy-at-the-bookstore wouldn't catch his smile in the reflection off the window. 

Whether he had or not, his head went back down to his book, though his gaze took a moment to drop as well. 

Sam focussed back on his own book, only to find it was another copy of the one he'd bought earlier in the week. Good thing new-cute-guy-at-the-bookstore pretty much stayed behind the counter; that much obvious fakery didn't exactly scream "cool and smooth."

He swapped it out for a paperback biography of some of the women of the WASPs that he'd looked at twice before, thinking of buying it for his oldest niece. She was probably still a little too young for it, but he'd not found a good version written for not-quite-teenagers yet, and Sam could always hang onto it for a while.

New-cute-guy-at-the-bookstore didn't look up from his book until Sam had been at the counter for a good ten seconds, even though Sam had felt eyes on him the whole way across the small store. He didn't make eye contact as he took the book.

"Your wife's not here today?" Sam asked idly, one elbow resting on the counter. 

New-cute-guy-at-the-bookstore gave him a pretty passable death glare. "She's not my wife."

"Thought you said she was married." Sam handed over his credit card when new-cute-guy-at-the-bookstore didn't say anything. "On Monday? I thought you said she was married."

New-cute-guy-at-the-bookstore kept glaring. "Not to me," he said shortly.

Sam glanced over his shoulder while he got his grin under control. He was definitely having too much fun with this. "Not married?" he asked. 

New-cute-guy-at-the-bookstore glared some more. "No. Here's your receipt."

Sam grinned, taking it. "Have a great day."

*

"I wish you'd let me give you Bucky's number," Steve said, the line crackling badly enough to give Sam a headache. "Or let me give him yours. You'll like him, Sam."

"So you keep telling me," Sam agreed. 

"And he could use a friend."

"What he could use, Steve, is a counsellor, and I can't counsel my best friend's best friend."

Steve made a frustrated noise, which was sort of fair; it wasn't the first time they'd had this conversation. "I told you, he's seeing someone at the VA."

"At my VA center, yeah, which is why you shouldn't have told me," Sam reminded him, half-mocking.

Steve laughed. "How about, you two would be perfect for each other, then?"

"So you keep telling me, Steve. So you keep telling me."

*

Sam & Bucky:

"You're Bucky, right?" cute-guy-who-came-in-to-look-at-the-aviation-history-section-every-week said, refilling the coffee pot between the end of his group session and the start of the monthly amputee support group that ran right after.

"And you're Sam," new-cute-guy-at-the-bookstore said, stealing the last chocolate chip cookie, which were not for people who didn't even come to the first group, thank you very much.

"Also known as Steve's best friend that he thinks I'm perfect for."

"Also known as Steve's best friend that he wants to set me up with." New-cute-guy-at-the-bookstore took a step forward, enough for cute-guy-who-came-in-to-look-at-the-aviation-history-section-every-week to catch the familiar smell of paper that hung around all the bookstore employees.

"Now we've established that," cute-guy-who-came-in-to-look-at-the-aviation-history-section-every-week said, "And since I wouldn't want to disappoint Steve, how about you let me buy you a drink some time?"

"Well, I wouldn't want to disappoint Steve," new-cute-guy-at-the-bookstore said. "So how about you buy me drink tonight after work?"

Sam stuck his hand out; Bucky shook it.


End file.
